Examiner.com

SE Portland PV residential install by REC Solar, Inc.

If you’ve been curious how solar might work for you, have questions about the cost and the incentives available and where to start, then don’t hesitate to investigate further. The incentives are arguably the best ever. Often the question is asked if the price of solar is going down and the answer is “yes, sort of!” Because of the recent production boom of solar panels the price of panels is slightly lower than a few years ago. When considering the payback of solar installations, it’s important to keep in mind in addition to the cost savings on energy bills, that the cost of nonrenewable energy, (oil and gas) will continue to rise making solar comparatively more affordable and cost effective over the years. Also installing solar will increase your home resale value.

Many have the misconception that Oregon doesn’t have enough sun to make installing solar a viable solution, but studies conducted by the University of Portland have proved quite the contrary. Oregon’s least sunny locations have more solar hours per day than the two leading solar nations, Germany and Japan.

To get started, the first step is to determine if your home and location, your budget and your energy needs are right for solar. Will you want solar for your electrical needs or heating or both? There are two kinds of solar- solar thermal for heating water both for domestic hot water use and whole house heating, or solar photovoltaic (PV) for your electrical needs.There are many factors to consider about your house and roof structure, the orientation of the roof and if you live in a neighborhood with lots of big shade trees around your house. All these conditions will come into play when a solar professional assesses your location.

If your location seems workable, then the next step is determining your energy needs. You or your solar installer will have to calculate the amount of energy or electricity your house uses in the course of a year. It’s actually a simple calculation if you have a year of electric bills you can see how much electricity you and your family have used in kWh, (Kilowatt hours) That number is converted to the size of the photovoltaic system needed in kilowatts. A typical household size system is about 2.5 KW.

If you are considering supplementing heating with solar hot water, your location will have many of the same considerations. Calculations will be based on how many occupants in the house and your average daily water use. Solar hot water in Western Oregon however, is not as effective as in Eastern Oregon.

In these tight economic times, we all want to see the numbers. The incentives currently offered mean the savings are considerable and amount to about 75-80% of the actual cost. Incentives may not last given our budgetary constraints locally and nationally. Let’s look at a typical solar PV installation cost. These incentives are for PV alone. Solar hot water incentives are different and cover up to roughly 60%.

This is an estimate for 2300 kWh (2.3 kWh) PV system:
Estimated Installed price                                   $17,250
Energy Trust of Oregon Incentive                      -$5,175
Out of Pocket you pay to installer                     $12,075

Oregon Residential Energy Tax Credit (RETC)  -$6,000
(Maximum claimed per year of $1500)
Federal Tax Credit- 30% of net cost, no caps    -$3,623
Total final cost                                                     $2,452

Keep in mind the tax credits are not cash back. The amount for the Oregon RETC and the Federal Tax Credit is credit on your tax returns. In other words, money you won’t have to pay in taxes.

So, it’s too much out of pocket expense for you or you don’t have that kind of cash? The Energy Trust of Oregon has partnered with Umpqua Bank to provide loans to customers who qualify in their Green Street Lending Program.
There are lots of workshops to be found sponsored by Solar Oregon, a nonprofit dedicated to education and promoting solar throughout Oregon They sponsor free events all over the state. An evening spent learning about solar applications will not only provide you with basic solar concepts, but also give you the language to interview and work with contractors and installers.

As every installer and energy geek will tell you, conservation measures and energy saving appliances will be the best way to not only reduce the size of the solar system you need, but it’s the smartest practice whether you install solar or not. Energy conservation immediately reduces your carbon footprint, it influences the size of your solar system and it’s the path to an energy independent, sustainable future. Now is one of the best times to invest in Oregon’s renewable energy future.

For more info: www.green-sight.com